


Without Words

by KaceyRenee_X



Category: Original Work
Genre: Best Friends, Explicit Language, F/M, Friendship/Love, High School, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-19 00:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7337713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaceyRenee_X/pseuds/KaceyRenee_X
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is it possible to convey feelings without words?<br/>To let the people you hold dear understand with a simple gesture?<br/>Is it possible to bury yourself in only the happy things in life, to forget everything else?<br/>Is there peace in that sort of happiness, the illusion of peace and true fulfillment? </p>
<p>These were the questioned Jeffrey Ross McBride asked himself, time and time again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Without Words

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've posted one of my stories online in about 3 years... I wrote this awhile ago, and ended up doing that author thing when you read your work so many times that you accidentally end up hating it...  
> I'm posting this here now, so hopefully it'll force me to love this story again and finish editing...
> 
> I editing this myself, so apologies for any mistakes (feel free to point them out to me, if fact I'd be grateful if you did...)  
> I don't know for to format properly on this site yet, I'll work it out soon... Also, I'm from England, but this story is meant to be set in America, I tried to portray it accurately (based on my many visits to the States) but if I've used any terms wrong let me know :) 
> 
> This is meant to be a romantic comedy, it contains some strong language and terms some people may find offence (I'm not racist, homophobic etc., we're all humans as far as I'm concerned - if I don't like anyone it's because they're annoying and I'm antisocial... I'm friendly I promise)

The bell for the end of school sounded at 3pm sharp, answering the prayers of every student inside. As people began to file out, Jeffrey Ross McBride slipped into the crowd keeping his eyes peeled for his friends. As he walked by, other 12th graders in the corridor flashed smiles, or a quick nod of the head, in Ross's direction. Ross wasn't popular in his High School, City Of Angels, but he wasn't a social outcast either - thanks to his friends who are on the football and basketball team. Groaning, Ross gave up his search for his friend, Matthew Jenkins, and flowed with the crowd to his locker in the nearby corridor. For a 17 year old, Ross was annoyingly short, at a height of just 1.74 meters he was the shortest in his group of friends. And if the height wasn't enough - Ross is also the smallest of all his 'body-built' friends, at a weight of 57kg he was edging on the lines of being underweight. Ross ran a single hand through his bleach blonde hair, he was often teased for the color of his hair and accused of bleaching it himself. But Ross never has, and never plans to do so - he hates the color of his hair with a burning passion. One thing Ross didn't hate his parents for cursing him with, were his baby blue eyes that seemed gray on contact with light. It made all of the girls he laid eyes on swoon, not that he wanted them too. 

"Aye, sup fag" someone said, wrapping an arm around Ross's neck in the process. Rolling his eyes, Ross nudged Marcus Washington, lead footballer, in the stomach. If anyone else had called him a fag, Ross would have taken offence. But Marcus was a harmless joker and had warned the name-calling was inevitable when Ross first came out of the closet. 

"Fuck off, D.C" Ross whined as Marcus laughed and proceeded to use Ross as a leaning post. Marcus Washington was a strange character in everyone's eyes. It seemed that the only time he could possibly be remotely serious was when he was on the field. Yet somehow Ross landed him as a close friend. 

"Aww, be nice Jeffery" D.C said with a grin, Marcus's last name and his smartass remarks landed him with the nickname D.C. Ross cringed at the use of his first name. 

"Ugh, that's such an ugly name" Ross whined, dragging both himself and the 81kg footballer along the corridor. Ross had hated his first name for a long time, on the first day at City Of Angels he had to beg everyone to refer to him as Ross, his middle name, instead of his first name. 

"That's so mean... Have you no consideration of how that poor name must feel?" D.C began, dramatically faking a loud sob and he haltered Ross's movements "Have you no shame?" D.C continued, making others in the corridor glance in their direction. 

"D.C, how much caffeine have you had today?" Ross asked, though D.C wasn't acting any different from usual. 

"A few thousand liters, I'm sure" Matthew Jenkins said as he approached the pair, he had spotted them from across the hall. Chuckling to himself, Matthew lifted D.C away from the smaller boy. Ross let out a shaky breath; just the sound of Matthew's voice had his heart racing at an unhealthy rate. Turning on his heels, Ross smiled at two of his four high school friends. The number had stunk by two when Ross originally came out of the closet in 10th grade. The world seemed to drown out as D.C jumped onto Matthew's shoulders. Matthew and D.C were often mistaken for cousins; they were both tall with green eyes and tan skin. D.C was one shade darker than Matthew, mostly due to being in the sun on the field while Matthew stayed inside throughout the school day. D.C was at least .04 of a meter taller than Matthew and they both had a stereotypical 'footballer jockey' build. All of the girls at the school loved them, and somehow Ross had also found himself in that category. From the second Ross saw Matthew walking into the school building on the first day of Freshman year he knew the boy would cause him trouble. The statement turned out to be true in many cases; Matthew got Ross into detentions monthly. But Ross didn't mind the detentions, he didn't even care about the time they all got arrested in 11th grade. It was his feelings for Matthew that caused the most trouble. Ross wanted nothing more than to run his hands through Matthew's dark brown hair, but two main factors stopped that from ever happening. Matthew was straight, Ross was sure of it, even if Matthew did act like he was in a relationship with D.C at times. It was D.C, he was a strange guy and no one was bothered to question him. Then, the biggest obstacle was a 1.64 meter girl named Lily Green, an England-born cheerleader that had light brown eyes with a hint of green to match her light brown hair with green highlights - A girl that was loved by everyone, but most importantly, loved by Matthew. The pair had been together since Middle School and everyone was sure they were going to get married at the end of high school, move away (maybe even back to Lily's hometown, London, England) and have three children. Just the thought of Matthew marrying someone else had Ross's heart breaking; it was a heart break that he felt daily. As they walked out of the school building Ross scanned Matthew, though he already had Matthew memorized from head to toe. The veins in Matthew's arms showed though his skin as he bared the weight of the footballer on his back. Despite his appearance and good looks, Matthew wasn't on the footballer team, or basketball team, or any sports club for that matter. Just likes Ross, Matthew hated all sports. 

"Rossy baby" D.C said as he pinched Ross's cheek. Ross snapped out of his temporary daydream. Another one of their mix shift 'group' had joined them. Russell Robinson was the only one from the group in the school's basketball team. He was born in Jamaica but never developed the accent since he moved to Los Angeles with his family before the age of one. Being a tall, black male from Jamaica gave Russell a stereotypical gangster look. But Russell was the opposite; he could read people like a book and was the most relaxed of the group. Russell's name, mixed with his relaxing persona, landed him with the nickname R&R. 

"Sup, R&R" Ross said, making the others laugh. Ross hadn't noticed before, but they were now outside of the school building. Judging by their laughter, Ross realized R&R had joined them awhile ago. 

"Only you Ross, only you" Matthew said, placing his arm around Ross's neck like D.C had done before. While D.C whined about Matthew 'stealing his man', Ross tried to control his heart rate. R&R flashed him a knowing look, which only made Ross's heart beat faster - R&R had been the one to work out Ross was gay, and then forced him out of the closet. And if that wasn't enough, R&R was now working out Ross's feelings for Matthew. Although Ross knew R&R was onto him, it was near to impossible to halt the feelings of Matthew, or at least make them go undetected. Knowing R&R, it was only a matter of time before he did something that would force Ross to admit everything. 

"What were you guys saying?" Ross asked meekly, the group was more than likely having a discussion while Ross was day dreaming and they had probably answered any current questions he had. 

"Well, while you were dreaming of your _lover_ , we were looking for Alex" R&R said making Ross growl in frustration. _I knew it_ , Ross thought to himself, both his jaw and fist clenching as he glared at R&R for revealing a part of his secret. 

"Lover?" D.C squealed, hauling Ross out of Matthew's hold, "you have a lover that isn't me. How could you?" D.C cried, real tears rolling down his cheeks as he pulled Ross to his chest. Unfortunately for everyone, D.C could cry on demand - he was overly dramatic and he didn't care about what others thought of him which made him perfect for the drama club but his love for football kept him on the field. 

"D.C, you're not even gay. Stop harassing poor Rossy" Matthew said, once again freeing Ross from D.C's clutches. Ross let out a deep breath once the footballer had let go, but his relaxation only lasted until he remembered the current situation. Ross's friends stood watching him. R&R felt accomplished, his plan was to make Ross feel uncomfortable. He also knew that both Matthew and D.C would not give up until Ross revealed his secret 'lover'. It was cruel, but R&R knew Ross would feel better having the secret out. Holding onto secrets for so long is painful. 

Alexander Frazier spotted his friends just outside of the school building, where they usually met under a tree before and after school. Alexander spotted them in time to see D.C burst out of Matthew's hold and launch himself onto Ross. Rolling his eyes, Alexander quickened his pace to a run. 

"Who is it Rossy, you have you tell me!" D.C yelled, his arms wrapped around Ross's waist. 

"Oh lord, what happened now?" Alex said with a groan, it was a puzzle to everyone how the 5 of them became friends. They were an unlikely group in many ways but they bonded within minutes and got used to each other’s crazy personalities. 

"Ross has a secret lover and he won't tell us" Matthew said a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at Ross. Matthew didn't know how R&R knew about Ross's lover, but he wasn't surprised Russell knew everything. Chuckling, Alex turned to R&R

"Let me guess, Russell outed him" Alex said knowingly, R&R nodded then smirked. Alex's eyes widened as he recognized the look on Russell's face, "you wouldn’t…" Alex whispered shaking his head in fear. 

"You're next, Alex. I'm sure Matt won't mind you tagging along to the music club with him" Russell said, then waited for the others to catch on. Ross, ignoring the boy latching onto him, turned to gasp at Alex. 

"Why do you want to go to the music club, what do you mean Alex is next... Oh my god, Alex likes someone in the music club!" D.C screamed once he added all of the points up in his head. Alex groaned at the volume of D.C's yell. Glancing around to make sure no one (expect Matthew) from the music club was around, Alex nodded. 

"Attack him, leave me alone" Ross said, pointing to Alex in the hope that Russell would choose to reveal Alex first. Unless Alex also liked Matthew, Alex's situation was far less complicated and Alex's lover was less likely to beat him up and never speak to him again. 

"What, why me?" Alex gasped, shaking his head rapidly "We should be setting _you_ up Ross. When was the last time you had a boyfriend?" as soon as the words left Alex's mouth, the group turned their focus to Ross. 

"I don't want a boyfriend" Ross mumbled, his head hung low as he gave a casual shrug. His words were a lie, and everyone knew that, but only Russell knew the truth. Ross did want a boyfriend, but not just any boy. He wanted Matthew; he had wanted Matthew since the very first day. At first, it felt wrong to befriend Matthew simply on the fact that he was developing a 'school girl crush' but it was one of the best things Ross had ever done. Being friends with Matthew had let him to being friends with Alex who had known Matthew for years. Alex was friends with D.C, since they worked as a tag team while playing football and Russell had been dragged into the craziness when the group saw him sitting alone at lunch in the sixth week of Freshman year. Ironically, Russell was sitting alone because he wanted to escape the loudness of his basketball team, only to end up with the loudest and strangest group of friends in the world. Ross had tried dating, but with those guys nothing went passed a few dates and sloppy make-outs. Clifton Gordon, point guard on the basketball team, was Ross's only real boyfriend. They dated in secret (since Clifton had yet to come out of the closet) for awhile until they admitted to themselves, and each other, that the relationship was clutching on straws. Though they loved each other, they knew it wouldn't go further than that. They were both in love with other boys, boys that were straight. So after just over a year of dating the boys broke up. They were both left slightly heartbroken, which is to be expected after such a long relationship, but continued to be completely besotted with their straight crushes. 

"We can harass Rossy later, let's go" Matthew said before the others had a chance to attack Ross for his obvious lie. Matthew was curious to know who Ross was so 'in love' which, especially since Ross seemed to want to hide the fact. Then there was the question of who Alex liked in the music club. Ross tried not to slip back into 'Matthew world' as he walked (was dragged by D.C) to the car, but it was hard not to smile at the way Matthew always seemed to stick up for him in all situations. When Ross came out of the closet, it became second-nature for Matthew to look after Ross. Now, no one who knows cares that Ross is gay, and if they do they won't voice it knowing the consequences will be life-threatening. Originally, Ross became a target of the apparent 'friends' that left once finding out Ross's sexuality. Matthew, Marcus (D.C), Alex and Russell have always been Ross's main and best friends but back in Freshman year there had been more friends on the list, and though they weren't the closest of friends they were still around if they were needed. The bullying didn't last long, having four ‘body-guard’ like friends around made it almost impossible for anyone to get close enough to Ross for long enough to cause him any damage. In the long run, the bullying brought the group closer. And gave Ross another reason to love, and feel loved by, Matthew - so all in all, Ross believed that the bullying was a good thing in the end. Ross would never voice the option knowing full well that anyone who was even remotely sane would think he was psychotic and needed help immediately. 

Ross didn't question what was going on as they piled into Alex's Ranger Rover. It was not unusual for them to randomly visit someone's house after school, and they had probably discussed the plans while Ross was in a day dream. Asking questions would only be begging for them to tease Ross even more. And more teasing was one things Ross wanted to avoid at the moment. 

"Okay, so now that you can't escape. Ross, Alex, start talking - who are we setting you guys up with?" Matthew asked a grin on his face as he flashed a smile to Alex who sat next to him in the driver’s seat, then back at Ross who sat in the back by the window. Ross's heart sped up, and he tried to his best not to grin at the fact that Matthew had said _his_ name first even though Alex was right next to him. Alex angrily swung for Matthew once they had stopped at a traffic light, giving Ross a few seconds to swoon over the way Matthew's voice sounded when he said his name. 

"I swear, I will drive us all into a lake" Alex hissed, punching Matthew once again before placing his hand on the gear stick and moving out of 1st gear and into 2nd, then 3rd as he sped up. 

"I'll never understand why you drive a stick shift..." Ross said, changing the subject to save both himself and Alex. It was easier to get out of the sticky situation, turning the tables onto Alex would only mean karma coming back to bite Ross in the ass, resulting in Ross also having to reveal his secret. 

"It's more fun; my dad taught me how to drive it" Alex said, happy that Ross was trying to change the subject. Russell sat in silence next to D.C who was curiously staring between Ross, Alex and the gear stick. Russell gave D.C a slight nudge, snapping D.C out of the trance of the fake conversation which in turn made D.C realize what the pair was trying to do. 

"You mother fuckers, don't change the subject!" D.C yelled, slapping Ross, but decided against slapping Alex since he was driving an unfamiliar type of car. D.C had no idea how stick shifts worked, as far as he knew slapping Alex could lead to the car magically transforming into a monster and killing them all. 

"Okay, okay... I'll tell you" Alex said finally, making Ross sigh in relief, happy that they would be gushing over Alex for a few minutes which would give him time to either escape or come up with an excuse not to tell them anything. 

"If it’s someone in the music club, then we can defiantly set the two of you up. All the girls in the club are single anyway - unless you're gay too..." Matthew said then trailed off, his eyes flickering between Ross and Alex. D.C caught the action, instead of only thinking the thought like Matthew was, as per usual, D.C voiced his thoughts before he thought about it clearly. 

"Oh my god, you like each other! Wait... No... Ross isn't in music club, never mind. Oh wait! Ross likes Alex" D.C said, poking Ross's side, "that's so cliché you fell for your best friend. I thought you loved me Ross!" D.C whined, prodding Ross's side. Ross groaned in response, his head buried in his hands in pure embarrassment. D.C was right, Ross was in love with his best friend and it was cliché but it wasn't Alex, it was the boy sitting next to Alex. 

"It's like you guys _want_ to kill me... I'm not in love with Alex" Ross mumbled, his cheeks still burning red. D.C pouted, as did Matthew and Alex, they had thought they cracked the mystery of Ross's secret lover. "I can't tell you who I like... Please don't make me" Ross said, sending them all pleading eyes as he tried not to meet Matthew's gaze - he knew he'd crack under it and admit his true feelings. Then Matthew would smile, tell Ross that he felt the same, they would kiss, get married and live happily ever after. But that was something that could only happen in Ross's fantasies, the real situation of reveling his feelings wouldn't end well. And forcing Matthew to cheat on his girlfriend would only make matters worse. 

"Okay, we won't ask for names. But you have to tell us something's about this guy, please" Matthew said, reaching thought the seats to place a hand on Ross's knee, "please" Matthew said again, a slight child-like innocence on his face. Ross tried to stop the butterflies from exploding in his stomach, but Matthew's face resembled that of a child asking their mother or father for the latest toy or a piece of candy. The look made Matthew look even more adorable than usual. 

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you details but no names and no club information" Ross said, his voice stern, though his insides where turning to mush, "and Alex has to do the same" Ross said smartly at the end, flashing Alex a cheeky grin. Alex muttered under his breath as they pulled up to his house. 

"Fine, but I'll do one up from you. I'll tell you guys _her_ name and you already know she's in music club thanks to the shady one" Alex hissed, his death glared bouncing between Ross and Russell. Russell remained unfazed by the current level of hatred and the heightened risk of death as he exited the car first and strolled up to the front door. The group shuffled into the house, briefly greeting Alex's parents and dog, and headed straight up the stairs to Alex's room. Once they were situated inside, the focus turned to Alex as they waited for the latest gossip. 

"Start talking, Alex, we need to move onto Ross’s interrogation next" Matthew said, leaning forward in his seat. There were only four girls in the music club; Matthew had each of them on a mental list. Deanna Austin was a known lesbian, so crushing on her would be futile. Amelia Harrison was currently in the ‘off’ mode of her on/off relationship with Sherman Mitchell, the footballer - which only left two girls, Krista Patterson a really scary Gothic girl who didn't speak to anyone (but had the voice of an angel) and Rebecca Waters, who was a complete geek. 

"You can’t laugh..." Alex muttered, though he knew they would all mock him for his choice of girl. Everyone else in City Of Angles thought of Rebecca Waters as a complete geek, and then there was her twin brother who was also a complete geek. If they weren't twins, they would have been the 'couple of the year' matched by the students who write the 'Angles Weekly' school newsletter. Most students at the school gain some level of respect, or tolerance, to Rebecca because of her voice. But that doesn't stop anyone from occasionally pushing her in the halls and mocking her at times - though Stephan Waters, Rebecca's twin, had it much worse. He had become a favorite to the Maxwell brothers, Christopher, Simon and Darrell, which was dangerous for anyone. The Maxwell brothers were well-known throughout the school for being complete assholes, but that fact didn't stop the amount of attention they received on a daily basis. Much too all victims of the Maxwell's dismay, the Maxwell's were the kings of the school - anyone who went against them would surely land themselves in hospital. 

"We won't laugh at you, Alex. Remember when D.C had a crush on Lisa Miller?" Ross said, grinning as they all began to laugh, including D.C. 

"In my defense she is sexy now, I predicted the future!" D.C exclaimed, flailing his arms around from where he sat on the floor. The comeback was just a smart-ass remark to turn the tension down and lessen the redness of his cheeks. Sending Ross a warning glare, D.C hid his face in embarrassment as the rest continued to giggle to themselves. 

"You know it's serious when D.C gets embarrassed" Alex said, a loud snort erupting from his nose as he spoke through the laughter. 

"She may be sexy cheerleader now, but at the time she was scarily overweight with an obsession with glittery things" Matthew said, grinning widely. Lisa Miller was now on the cheer squad along with Matthew's girlfriend, Lily Green. Lisa changed dramatically from Middle school to High School, and she was getting revenge on all of the people that ever made fun of her by being a bitch to everyone who wasn't on the cheer squad, "a bitchy cheerleader at that" Matthew added, which all of the group nodded in agreement too. Since Matthew had a connection to the cheerleaders, they had all been forced to face the monster that is (only 37kg in weight and 1.5m tall) Lisa. 

"Fine... Rebecca Waters" Alex said so quietly his friends almost didn't hear him. But since there was only a few girls it could be, it was obvious what Alex had said. The silence of the room took a toll on Alex, it was unusual for the group to be silent, groaning, Alex buried his head in his hands, "alright, fine you can laugh" he muttered reluctantly, which is all it took to bring the group back to life. Russell grinned happily as Marcus, Matthew and Ross laughed loudly, prodding Alex teasing every once in awhile. 

"You can do calculus homework together" Ross said, wiping the tears from his eyes. In the back of his mind, voices were telling Ross it was a bad idea to make fun of Alex since it would only come back to bite him in the ass soon - but Ross was never one for thinking ahead and continued to laugh. 

"Alex, baby, can you pass me the scientific calculator" D.C said, putting on a girly voice to mimic Rebecca, "of course baby, it's blue like the color of your eyes when electromagnetic radiation shines into them" D.C added, now putting on a slightly deeper voice to mimic Alex. 

"Shut up, I don't sound like that... And her eyes are not blue, they are green" Alex hissed in defense, but soon realized his mistake of correcting D.C on the color of Rebecca's eyes when the group began to laugh again

"I bet he knows where she lives too, and he hacked the police database to get her cell number" Ross said, grinning as D.C began to cry due to how hard he was now laughing. Ross loved making people laugh, much like D.C, it was something they both aimed for daily. It was normal for them to bounce a joke back and forth between themselves until no one at the table could breathe any longer. 

"Dude, quick, turn off the lights - I bet he has glow in the dark paintings of her name in love hearts all over the wall" D.C motioned towards the lights, before Ross could drive towards the switch; Alex grabbed the small boy and held him in a choke hold. 

"One more word and the boy dies" Alex hissed, shaking Ross like a rag doll. Ross whined about being picked on for being the smallest while D.C put on the fake tears again, crying that he would lose the 'one true love of his life' forever. It was a normal scene, so Matthew and Russell watched in silence. Matthew still failed to understand how he ended up with the group, he was unusually shy which made most people avoid him like the plague after a few attempts at gaining his friendship. But Ross didn’t give up, Matthew couldn’t understand why - but he was happy that, for once, everyone had not given up on him. With his friends, the freaks, Matthew could be himself, his old self, the one that he thought he left in Las Vegas at the tender age of 13. 

"I know what you're doing, Ross" Russell said after sometime. Instinctively, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Russell. At first, Matthew held the title of being the quietest in the group - but once he opened up a bit after a few month, Russell gained, and kept the title. Russell only speaks when he feels he needs too, and he usually says something to destroy someone's life as the victims see it. To Russell, he is helping in his own little way, but bringing pain to the victim is also a cruel method he likes to use. Ross knew this all too well, so he flinched in Alex's, now loosened, grip. 

"You bastard, you planned this" Alex exclaimed in shock, viciously shaking Ross in the process - he wasn't angry really, Alex didn't mind his friends knowing about his crush but the teasing would be the death of him and he wanted revenge

"I know you're only rallying up this Rebecca thing because you want to avoid the topic of _your_ lover. Alex merely has a huge crush on Rebecca, I couldn't say the same for you" Russell said, then folded his arms and sat back - a sign that he would not say another word on the topic, instead he would grin and snicker as he watched Ross suffer. 

"You are in love with someone?" Matthew asked once Russell's words registered in his head. 

"I hate you, R&R" Ross muttered, avoiding Matthew's question. Russell had a smug grin plastered on his face, but he didn't say a word. 

"Answer me, Rossy" Matthew whined, unknowingly making Ross's heart beat faster. Matthew and D.C often called Ross 'Rossy', the nickname sprung when Ross came out of the closet and was now used when they were either teasing him or begging him to do something. 

"Yeah, answer him or I'll call you Jeffery until graduation" Alex said with a grin, Ross had almost forgotten he was at Alex's mercy still. Cringing at his first name, Ross groaned loudly, frustrated with the situation Russell had thrown him in. 

"R&R, I am an Alex away from killing you, do you enjoy putting me in situations like this?" Ross asked, still avoiding the question - instead of answering like Ross had hoped, Russell simply nodded his head while he wore an amused smile on his lips. 

"Come on Ross, you can talk to us. I can’t promise we won’t laugh but we are your best friends. Please Rossy" Matthew said with a pout, he was soon joined by D.C who leaned on Matthew's shoulder and also pouted. The double pout and closeness of the two made them look even more like cousins. 

"Okay, okay... I'm in love with someone, I saw them on the first day of Freshman year and I have liked them ever since. I hoped my feelings would fade but they only got stronger, and now I know I’ll never be able to shake them" Ross admitted, one weight lifted off of his shoulders as another was added. It was of a great relief to have his friends’ know he had strong feelings for someone, but nerve-racking because the boy he had feelings for was sitting less than a meter away. Alex finally released Ross from the deadly choke hold; Ross sat up but kept his head down to avoid the gaze of everyone in the room. 

"Damn, you got it bad" D.C commented, he placed a hand on Ross's knee. Slowly, Ross raised his head and his eyes met D.C's green ones, "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to admit your love for me. It's okay Rossy, no need to be afraid. I love you too" D.C said, dropping the sympathetic look as he jumped onto Ross bringing them both to the floor with a painful thud. 

"I knew you wouldn’t stay serious for long" Ross grumbled as he fruitlessly tried to push the footballer away. 

"Do we know the boy?" Matthew asked leaning forwards on his hands. Russell held the urge to yell 'it's you' for two reasons, one: Ross looked ready to pass out as it was; the current damage was enough torture of the time being and two: Russell wanted Ross to tell Matthew himself, it would be better for the both of them that way. Meekly, Ross lowered his head once again - usually he had a lot of self control over his actions around Matthew, which was strange since Ross had no self control in any other situation. But Ross feared that meeting Matthew's gaze would urge him to do something stupid, like kiss the lips he had been dreaming off for the past four years. 

"Yeah, you all know him" Ross mumbled, he ran his hands thought Alex's soft rug, his heart was racing and it was becoming increasingly hard to keep hold of his darkest secret. A secret he thought only his mother and cousin knew until a few hours ago, though it should have been obvious Russell would work it out - Russell knew _everything_. 

"I have never seen Ross all shy like, you must really, really like this guy" Alex said as he wrapped an arm around Ross's tiny shoulders. 

"Please don’t cry Rossy, you look ready to explode" D.C said, prodding Ross which prompted a small smile from Ross before it soon faded. 

"Please don’t make me tell you who it is, I'm not ready for my whole life to change yet" Ross pleaded, confusing everyone but Russell who watched knowingly. Matthew glanced at Russell, it didn’t take him long to work out that Russell knew everything about this mystery boy. 

"How did you find out?" Matthew questioned, wondering if Ross had told him personally or if Russell had worked it out. Both ideas were equally possible, Russell was often the diary of the group - all secrets would be spilled to him (if he hadn’t already clued in on them) then when the time was right Russell would spill to the rest of the group. It was the most effective way for them to communicate their feelings to each other, since neither Ross nor D.C were serious enough to talk about emotions unless forced to do so. 

"Worked it out, he does a good job of hiding it though. Took me all this time to see it" Russell said, his eyes landing Ross who was still willing the floor to swallow him. Russell was always puzzled by the way Ross acted around Matthew; at first he thought it was just a strong bonded friendship but soon it became obvious that Ross felt something for Matthew. Under closer observation the signs of love became clearer and clearer. 

"I’m doomed" Ross whispered, though they all heard him. Ross knew that it was only a matter of time before they all worked him out; if Russell had done it without any help, the rest could easily work it out now that they had been given a head start. The group would now be watching Ross's every move like a hawk, watching for him to slip a strong emotion. Ross hoped that they would be so busy looking for someone out of the circle that they would forget any passed shows of affected Ross would enforced on Matthew. Somehow Ross would have to act normal while pretending to have no other feelings apart from a strong ‘bromance’ towards Matthew. Slowly, Ross hated Russell more and more for the situation that could only go downhill from where they currently stood. 


End file.
